Look at YouTube videos dedicated to comparing fake with authentic luxury bags and you’ll notice how difficult it is becoming to differentiate between them. It’s also easier than ever to get your hands on quality counterfeit goods [although ‘replica’ is the keyword to use in your illicit search].
Women’s Bags
Burberry handbags may not be the most faked of bags [the most copied tend to be Gucci and Louis Vuitton: they have a high resale value which makes fakes a better deal than a second-hand model].
Burberry knockoffs tend to be mundane variants on the Burberry check, which helps genuine Burberry stay somewhat under the fake radar with high quality, conservative but less copied originals.
Nevertheless, fakes exist. If you’re thinking of buying one, then you’re probably not going to read any further. Fine, but three caveats exist if you are set on buying something from the black market.
Firstly, having a branded bag [real or fake] will not make you stylish. That takes work and a good eye.
Secondly, an authentic bag will last many years longer than a fake one.
And thirdly, someone in a sweatshop somewhere is paying the price for your illegitimate indulgence.
There are also better options: wait and save for the real deal, buy a second-hand one [repurposed and rental are all the rage now; even Burberry are getting in on the act] or use your initiative and buy something less expensive. If you’ve got class, it will shine through regardless.
Of course, a stylish person will insist on the genuine article. So now that’s out of the way, here’s a guide to knowing the real from the not real to confirm the authenticity of your Burberry purchase.
The Stitching
Genuine Burberry bags will have stitching that is straight, neat, evenly spaced, and equidistant to the edge of the product. The colour will be complementary to the leather, and largely subdued. One place to easily check these facets is on the leather tag or stitching round the outside of the bag.
Again, all should be neat, even, and clean and with no loose threads. High-end technology and in-house craftsmanship are luxuries that hurried sweatshops do not have. Stitching is not just an aesthetic concern either: badly stitched items will almost certainly fall apart in next to no time.
The Label or Metal Plaque
Two factors related to label or plaque will help you determine whether the bag is real or not: the positioning of the text [it should be centered and evenly spaced] and its clarity. Other factors include the metal being the same color as the bag, and a sharpness to the lettering. This is probably an area in which having authentic variants to compare with fake Burberry bags will be useful. Don’t just trust that it has a label or plaque. That means nothing.
The Font Letters of the Burberry Logo
It’ll take a sleuth’s eye to spot the difference in the letters of fake vs real Burberry fonts. Things are getting much sharper in this department but look out for authentic Rs having subtle swishing small tails [while fakes are straighter] and the Us left vertical being slightly thicker than the right.
Authentic Bs also have two slight wing tips at the top left side that are generally not a feature of fake ones.
Otherwise, have a look at the spacing of the lettering, which should be even and without odd gaps [fakes may be spaced slightly wider], the boldness of the printing, which should be relatively light, and completely circular O’s in ‘Burberry London’, which are sometimes more like elongated and flattened zeroes on fakes.
The Haymarket Check
A genuine Burberry bag frequently features a dominant nova check pattern in standard black, white, and red, with lines that are red and a light-yellow undertone that combines to form a pinkish hue.
Frequently, the background has a light horse and knight insignia printed in relief behind the check pattern.
Some better fakes have started to incorporate the same symbol behind the Burberry pattern, but without it – and especially on large bags that really push the popular Burberry patterns, you should double check the undertone and the lines for sharpness, colour and consistency.
The Hardware
As the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold. Uneven, and overly shiny metal hardware can sometimes be an indication that a cheaper product has been used. Check that the metal has an even finish and is not chipped or faded. If there is an engraving [for example of the horse and knight insignia or lettering] then this should be evenly carved [which fakes are getting better at reproducing] and not glaringly shiny or dulled. Smaller hardware components on fakes tend not to feature any logo or insignia.
The Feel of the Bag
Bags made with superior leather by professional craftspeople will have a feel, touch and standing that won’t be a feature of cheaper fake variants. Expect fakes to be bulkier – getting that uniform square bearing from a fake is almost impossible and one of the reasons fakes tend to emulate plusher bag variants.
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